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'Thor: The Dark World' Trailer: Earth Under Attack Again

Thor gave his word that he would return and he did in The Avengers. Now he owes Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) another return to Earth and a very good explanation as to why he didn't visit last summer.

With Iron Man 3 opening in select markets this week, the marketing campaign for Thor: The Dark World has begun and we already have the first teaser poster, new photos and a few key plot details to go with the very first Thor 2 teaser trailer.

An early description of the Thor trailer from a presentation in Italy and the more recent latest teaser description from another presentation in Mexico highlight similar key moments and themes. As it turns out, these were only partly accurate.

Thor is back, now more of a veteran viking warrior with a great sense of leadership and responsibility. He's got longer hair to go with his ever-so-slightly redesigned armor and Mjolnir hammer. More importantly, he must face his greatest threat yet.

Marvel’s “Thor: The Dark World” continues the big-screen adventures of Thor, the Mighty Avenger, as he battles to save Earth and all the Nine Realms from a shadowy enemy that predates the universe itself. In the aftermath of Marvel’s “Thor” and “Marvel’s The Avengers,” Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos…but an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith returns to plunge the universe back into darkness. Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all.

It's not just the Dark Elves that Thor must battle, but the wrath of an angry stranded human love interest in Jane Foster, and the love triangle that forms thanks to Thor's history with Sif. This is only teased in the first Thor: The Dark World trailer.

Along with brief shots of action on Asgard, Earth and other locations, we see Jane Foster taken to Asgard, a close-up of Malekith's (Christopher Eccleston) scarred face, brief shots of Earth under attack, and a mysterious space vessel. The biggest highlight and the "hook" of the teaser is the rugged, imprisoned Loki, and Thor warning him that if he again attempts betrayal, he will be killed. After his scene-stealing role in The Avengers, Tom Hiddleston is essential to helping market the Thor followup.

Even from the disjointed teaser which serves more as a brief sizzle reel, the overhaul of tone and style is evident. Director Alan Taylor's influence is not only fitting, but welcome, and a touch of Rome and Game of Thrones is exactly what Marvel Studios needed to deliver the next chapter in the space viking superhero story. It's more polished, more detailed and more fleshed out - and that's key since Asgard (and the other realms) have an expanded role in the sequel.

What's going on in the scene with Jane Foster caught in some sort of vortex sandstorm? Why is that truck floating in the intro? How does Thor travel freely between realms?

Iron Man 3 opens in U.S. theaters on May 3rd, 2013, followed by Thor: The Dark World on November 8th, 2013. Captain America: The Winter Soldier opens April 4th, 2014, Guardians of the Galaxy on August 1st, 2014, The Avengers 2 on May 1st, 2015, Ant-Man on November 6th, 2015 and Doctor Strange sometime after.

If you're excited for Thor's return, follow me on Twitter @rob_keyes for more!